Mop renovator



Fila@ July lf3, 3.955

Patented Feb. 15, 1938 maar PATENT GFFICE MOP RENOVATOR Alfred D. Sund,

Application July 18,

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a device in which dusting mops or brooms may be cleaned.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device of the character described which will permit mops to be shaken out and divested of accumulated dust and lint indoors and which will collect and retain the dust and lint and prevent re-entry thereof into the room.

Another object of the invention is toy provide improved means, in a device of the type referred to, for sealing it against the escape therefrom of buoyant dust particles.

Still another object of the invention is to provide for humidifying the air within the device so as to hasten settling of the dust therein.

My invention possesses other objects and features of advantage which will be pointed out in the following description of the invention, however I do not wish toy be limited by such description, or the form of the invention as illustrated, as other embodiments thereof may be employed Within the scope of the appended claim.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a cabinet embodying the principles of my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View of the cabinet of Figure 1; the plane of section being indicated by the line 2-2 of the latter figure.

Figure 3 is a fragmental horizontal sectional view of that portion of Figure 1 lying in the plane indicated by the line 3-3 appearing thereon.

In renovating a dusting mop, a housewife will invariably go to the nearest window, open it, thrust the head of the mop therethrough and, by striking the handle o-f the mop forcibly against the window sill a number of times, loosen the dust from the mop and allow the breeze that may be present, to carry it away. It is often the case however, especially if the Wind is blowing in gusts, that the dust liberated from the mop will be blown through the window into the room, thereby requiring that the room be re-dusted. The most serious feature of this method of mop cleaning is the fact that the dust is liable to be carried by the wind through open windows of neighboring homes.

I have provided a closed cabinet in which mops may be cleaned indoors, thereby obviating the undesirable features of the usually practiced mode of mop renovation.

In detail, my invention comprises a cabinet provided with a bottom 4, top 5, side walls Ii, rear wall 1, and a front wall generally indicated by the numeral 8, all of the parts being joined Santa Rosa, Calif.

1935, Serial No. 32,103

together to provide a closed chamber 9. The front wall 8 is composed of a. xed section Ill Whose ends are spaced from the top and bottom of the cabinet to provide an upper opening closed by a door I I and a lower opening closed by a door I2. Both doors are provided with spring hinges I3, those of the upper door being secured to a cross member I4 and those of the lower door to thexed section I0. Both doors are also provided with pulls I5 by means of which each door may be swung outwardly, as is indicated by the arcuate arrows appearing in Figure 2, to urlcover its opening.

The wall section III is provided with a vertically disposed slot I B which opens, at its upper end, into the opening o-f the door II; and, to provide for closing the slot, strips I1 of rubber, disposed with their edges abutting along the central axis of the slot, are secured to the inner surface of the wall section by means of screws or nails I8.

Mounted on the outer surface of the wall section II), by screws I9, is a bracket 20 having a flat top portion 2| provided with an aperture to receive, slidably, a screw 22. The upper end of this screw is provided with a conically shaped rubber knob 23 which is nested in one end of a coil spring 24, the other end of the spring being disposed in contact with the bracket. A nut 25 is provided, on the end of the screw, contacting the under side of the portion 2I of the bracket and preventing withdrawal of the screw through the aperture under the influence of the spring 24. It will be noted that the top of the. rubber knob 23 is positioned above the bottom of the slot I6, the reason for which will be described presently.

The mop 26Ama.y be inserted into the chamber 9 by swinging the door Il outwardly so as to allow the mop head to pass through the opening thus created in the cabinet wall, after which the door is released, the spring hinges I3 returning the door to its normal closed position and forcing the handle 21 of the mop into the slot I6 between the edges of the rubber closure strips I1. The mop may now be moved downwardly forcibly, in successive strokes, to strike the handle 21 against the rubber knob 23, whereupon the shocks imparted thereby, to the mop head within the chamber, will dislodge any dust or lint carried thereby. The purpose of positioning the top of the knob 23 .above the lower end of the slot is to allow for compression of the spring 24 under the shocks imparted thereto by the descending handle 21 thereby causing the mop head to rebound at the end of each downward stroke and thereby -dislodge any deep-seated dust or lint which may be contained therein.

To provide for collecting the dust and lint released from the mop head, I have provided a pan 28, lying on the bottom of the cabinet and above the pan, secured by nails or screws 29 to the inner surface of each of the cabinet wall members; I provide a deector plate 30 whose lower edge overlies the edges of the pan so that dust and other matter `falling from the mop head' Will be directed into the pan. The pan, when full, may be Withdrawn, for emptying, through the door l2.

Since a large portion of the dust picked up by the mop is buoyant in the air, and consequently when shaken out of the mop Within the chamber 9, Will remain suspended therein for a consider-vV able period of time, I provide means for facilitating its settlement into the pan 28 so that, when the cabinet doors I l or l2 are opened, it will not escape from the cabinet back into the room. I accomplish this by providinga container 3|, containing Water or liquid germicide 32, which is hung in the upper portion of the chamber by means of a hook 33. The fluid Yserves to humidify the air in the chamber and accelerate settling of the dust therein. In order to offer as little resistance to the oW of vapor from thecontainer into the chamber, I provide theportion of the former, adjacent its rim, with apertures 34.

It has been found, under actual working conditions, that the cabinet of my invention is, due to its completely sealed construction, capable of retaining, without perceptible leakage, the nest dust that may be picked up by the mop, and due to the humidifier, with which the device is equipped, the doors of the cabinet may be opened, immediately after a mop has been shaken, without a perceptible amount of the dust escaping therefrom.

I claim:

A mop renovator comprising a cabinet including a front Wall provided with a panel having a vertical slot therein, a helical spring supported by said panel in such manner that its axis is in front of said slot and parallel with the Walls of the'latter, a knob connected with the upper end of said spring in such position as to be normally urged upwardly by the latter, and means for limiting said upward movement of the knob under the compression of said spring, said limiting means being so constructed as to normally maintain said knob in a position adjacent to but above the plane of the lower end of said slot, said spring beingV strong enough to impart a substantial rebound to a descending mop handle upon contact thereof with said knob.

ALFRED D. SUND. 

